When Takashi Fukatsu signed on for 3,600-kilometer road trip down Route 66, the famed U.S. highway, on a Harley-Davidson at age 69, he knew he needed to get in shape.
His exercise machine of choice: a saddle-like device called the Joba, named after the Japanese word for horseback riding. To tone his muscles, he spent 30 minutes a day on the machine, swaying back and forth and from side to side, just like he was riding a horse.
Horseback-simulation machines have become one of the hottest fitness trends in Japan, with a sharp rise in sales and a three-week wait for buyers to get hold of the Joba. The machines are heading over to the U.S., too. After renaming the Joba the "core trainer," Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. began marketing it under its Panasonic brand in January, landing it in catalogs like Hammacher Schlemmer and a few U.S. fitness clubs.
Part of the attraction, for a country with an aging and increasingly sedentary population, is that a Joba workout doesn't take much effort. "I ride the Joba when I'm feeling a little tired because I can get exercise just by sitting on it," says Mr. Fukatsu. Marketers pitch the machine, which was designed to fit into a living room, as something that can easily be used while watching TV.
But the machine does provide a workout. Using it for about 15 minutes a day, three days a week tones muscles, improves posture and increases metabolism, according to studies by Matsushita and a handful of universities. Fitness experts agree that the Joba can help work a limited set of muscles. Toru Nakayama, a Tokyo personal trainer who participates in jujitsu competitions, says, "It's better than nothing because it'll help tone the middle area and thighs," though he adds that running is more effective for people who want to lose weight.
Riders work their abdomens to keep balance with their upper bodies, and strengthen their thighs by squeezing to maintain a grip on the horse. It is also low-impact, because users mostly sit and let their bodies react to the horse-like movements. A Joba workout doesn't burn many calories -- about 50 in 15 minutes. But better-toned muscles increase a person's metabolic rate.
Because straddling a bucking saddle looks less than genteel, the device isn't always taken seriously at first sight. Some female customers find it suggestive. Club Northwest, a large sports club in Grants Pass, Oregon, has two core trainers. "In the beginning, (customers) were all laughing," said club director Laurie Cingle. "People would get on and say, 'Yee-ha!' like a cowboy. But then they realize that it feels really good." Now, she says, the trainers are used almost all day by everyone from teenagers to men and women in their eighties.
The Joba's roots go back 25 years, when Tetsuhiko Kimura, a Japanese doctor specializing in rehabilitation, took a trip to Norway, and saw horseback riding being used for physical therapy. Dr. Kimura treats patients with back problems, and thought it could be used as a preventive measure to help older patients with weak backs and legs. Many of them are too old for strenuous exercise, but need strength so they don't fall and hurt themselves. He also thought it would help younger people, who he says are increasingly "experiencing back and shoulder pain from bad posture."
One problem with horseback riding as exercise in Japan: The country is mostly mountainous, and flat, habitable land near population centers is a precious commodity. There isn't much space for horses. So Dr. Kimura helped Matsushita create a device that simulates a horse's movements.
The Joba looks like the seat of a saddle, and has a plastic handle in front to grip for balance. Stirrups also help keep balance while working the legs. The machine then pitches and rolls, moving in a figure-eight pattern. Menu options allow a general workout, or focus on waist and hips, and users can set their own speed on a one-to-nine scale. Matsushita has produced a DVD that teaches "Jobabics" exercises -- upper-body twists and arm workouts such as pumping and swinging -- that increase the effectiveness of the exercise.
The Joba took several years to catch on. At first glance, it didn't look like a regular exercise machine, and it was expensive -- $2,400 when first released in October 2000. But in Japan, the price has since come down to less than $700 for the latest compact model aimed at young women. Marketing it as a dieting aid also widened its appeal. Matsushita sold 55,000 Jobas in its most recent business year, which ended in March, and has sold more than 120,000 units in Japan so far. Buyers have to wait three weeks to get hold of one. "We're now at full production capacity," said Ryusuke Nakanishi, who led the development of Joba at Matsushita's home-appliance unit, Matsushita Electric Works.
The company's U.S. model -- bigger and with more menu options than the compact Japanese model -- costs $2,000. They went on sale on the Panasonic Web site and through the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog. A few Sharper Image stores are also expected to carry them soon.
Imitations have sprung up recently, like a machine with simpler movements called Rodeo Boy, made by Daito Electric Machine Industry Co. and sold for about $250. Singapore-based fitness-equipment company OSIM International Ltd. has made something called iGallop, which is available in the U.S. at specialty retailer Brookstone for about $500.
Mr. Fukatsu had no problems riding 200 kilometers a day on his trip, even though he was the oldest member of a group of friends in their early 60s. After he got back to Japan, he bought a Harley of his own -- a 360-kilogram Ultra Classic Electra Glide. He has carried on with his Joba training, which he rides while sipping a glass of shochu, a Japanese hard liquor. "It keeps me strong, so I can ride my motorcycle," he says. "And I can have a nightcap at the same time."
First Published: September 14, 2006, 4:00 a.m.
